Categories: Articles

Bill Clinton Invented The Internet

OK, maybe Bill Clinton did not invent the Internet. After all, it was Al Gore (we all know that). But, Clinton truly believes, understands and works in the Internet age – even from a marketing perspective.
During his presentation yesterday at The Power Within, Bill Clinton kept referring to the power of the Internet and how it is, and will continue to be, one of the strongest forces in helping our world progress.
We all know that the Internet has changed the rules. Clinton pointed out how the SARS epidemic was quelled faster because people in China had access to the Internet and, via email, engaged the government to act quickly. He also spoke about the power of campaign donations online and how both parties benefited by this new opportunity for individuals to make small contributions that amounted to changing the landscape of how elections work.
He spoke of messaging and how because the Internet is easy and user-friendly we are now able to mobilize people who are empowered even if they don’t have a ton of money.
You see, small is the new big (to borrow an over-used cliché) and the Internet is power. Because we have this power, we have an obligation (Clinton’s word but paraphrased by me). I think Clinton is right and because of this obligation, we’re seeing that marketers have to deal with a landscape that is not customer-centric but customer created.
After hearing all of this from the former President, I am truly keyed up to hear what people say tomorrow at the 2005 Digital Marketing Conference.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.